


Locked in Love

by LexiRoseWrites



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist, Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - High School, Anal Sex, Bullying, Child Abuse, Explicit Sexual Content, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship, Underage Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-31
Packaged: 2017-12-21 15:16:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/901770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexiRoseWrites/pseuds/LexiRoseWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Edward is snowed in school for the weekend with his new teacher: the handsome, young, Roy Mustang. Will he discover all the secrets Edward has kept covered up for so long?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, anyone reading this! This is my first story I'm posting here. But, I'm not gonna lie. The whole thing is already posted to Fanfiction.net, however, as I post it here it will be edited (since I did a poor job the first time, it was a couple years ago).

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Damn alarm clock," Edward muttered, reaching over to clumsily press the 'SLEEP' button, only to knock it off his nightstand.

"GET YOUR ASS UP FOR SCHOOL, RIGHT NOW!" An angry voice came from the other side of Ed's door. Said person was banging hard onto the wooden surface.

Edward shook, knowing if he didn't get up that he would have a few new bruises to explain to his teachers that day.

Edward had been abused since he was barely able to talk. He didn't like the word 'abuse' though, it made him feel weak.

According to Izumi, he wasn't being 'abused' he was just 'punished for being the idiot he was.' After all the physical and verbal tormenting he had been through, he believed the words. He was a mistake, never meant to happen.

Edward quickly jumped out of the bed and threw on one of the few pairs of clothes he owned. His parents refused to spend any money on him so Ed had old clothes given to him by friends. He put on his leather pants and black tank top with his jacket. The teachers thought that he dressed that way so he would gain attention.

They were very wrong. He wore these because they hid his automail fairly well, and he hated the negative attention he received from having them. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was abused, poor, and the teachers hated him, he was tormented by bullies because of his stupid automail limbs. He thought they were ugly, they were a reminder of his all his pain and suffering.

His parents had pushed him into the street several years ago because he was limping to bring the trash out. They had beat him the night before and didn't want anybody to know. Unluckily for him, a car had been coming at the same time. When he woke up he was missing his right arm and left leg.

Again, they refused to pay for anything, especially if it made his life easier. But, what they didn't know was that he did have a few friends. One of his long-time ones being Winry Rockbell, who had practically been raised to be an automail mechanic. Winry knew what had been happening to him and so she helped the -at the time- ten year old, and built him some automail.

They made life almost normal again. Occasionally, they would even help protect Ed and Al from their parents. And although he had the strength to protect himself, Al didn't. So, Edward stayed in that awful house, lest his brother get hurt, or they were separated. Alphonse was his little brother. But, unlike Edward, they actually liked Al most of the time. For some reason, it was Ed who took most of the abuse, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He would do anything to protect his brother.

Now seventeen, Edward went to school everyday with his fifteen year old brother. He was a junior while Alphonse was a sophomore in high school. Al dressed normally, while Ed did not. Al did his homework, while Edward got his stolen. Al was popular, with lots of friends, while Ed was a dork who got beat up and had few friends.

The few Ed did have were Winry, Russell, Fletcher, and Envy. They were the only ones ever willing to stand up and help him. He depended on them dearly.

Edward looked out his fogged up window, out into the winter wonderland. How the hell did they still have school with huge mounds of snow outside? It was still snowing for God sake!

Ed grabbed his beat up backpack that contained the homework he would most likely not be turning in. The older Elric was a brilliant student, he got A's in everything and aced every quiz or test. Unfortunately, his tormentors knew that too. They would corner him before school and steal all of his perfect homework. He would be left in the bathroom, tending to more bruises before school everyday. However, reporting them would cause his parents to be contacted. And the last thing he needed was a beating for causing trouble at school, too.

This being the case, Edward usually stayed after school for detention due to not turning in homework. Most days, Alphonse would wait outside the classroom for him, knowing his brother had a harder time than him. But, there were a few days when Al would leave his sibling to go hang out with his popular crowd.

Edward walked, as quietly as he could with his metal leg, down the stairs and into the kitchen. His brother was already sitting at the table eating a bowl of some generic cereal. Izumi was there glaring at him the moment he walked into the room, as if his very presence made her sick.

"Finally up, you little dumb ass?" She sneered at him.

"Yes," He replied quietly, ignoring her all too common insults.

"Don't you talk to me in that ungrateful tone of yours!" Her voice turned icy.

Ed felt something smack him across his face as a stinging sensation started there. He fell to the ground from the force of the hit. He couldn't bring himself to stop her or make an attempt to protect himself more than holding his arms up to his face. Did it really matter?

"Get up!" Izumi ordered, "I said get up now!" She screamed when he didn't obey. She aimed a hard kick at his ribs and put all her force into it, knocking the wind out of him. Laughing as she left the room, Ed was gasping for air while looking like a pitiful mess, trying to hold back tears of pain.

"Brother!" Al yelled, jumping off his stool to help him up, once Izumi was gone.

Ed slowly got his breathe back thanks to his brother's calming words and gentle hands.

"Edward, you can't keep doing this. You could be seriously injured soon," Al started the argument they had everyday.

"No, Al. I'm fine. Izumi and Sig would hurt you if they found out we told. Or we might get separated and never see each other again." Ed whispered, his voice sounding weak.

"I don't care, Ed! Don't you see? I don't care what happens to me! I just want you to be safe brother!" Al implored him, his eyes wide and innocent.

"Come on, Alphonse," The full use of his name showing his brother's seriousness, "We're gonna be late for school," Ed informed him as he got up from the floor slowly.

"Yes, brother," Al replied, planning to bug his older brother about it later.

It was still snowing hard as they made their way to school. The white flakes covering them quickly. They met up with Winry and Envy on the way there. Both lived near by, and knew Ed and Al for several years

"Are you okay, Ed?" Winry questioned in a kind voice as soon as she saw the boys, "Did they hurt you too badly this morning?"

"No, not too badly. I'll be fine, Winry." Edward answered in a soft voice, giving her a small sad smile.

"Glad you're okay," Envy said, concerned for his friend who used to be so energetic and loud, but was now so lifeless and fragile.

The four made their way through the harsh blizzard towards the school. The moment the other three left for their classes, Edward was ambushed by a couple of the upper classmen when he walked to his locker. The only reason they were able to use his homework was because he was in advanced classes.

"So, where's my AP Calculus homework?" One of the teens questioned him smugly.

Ed knew he should probably just not do the homework so that they would both get in trouble, instead of just him. But, he had tried this before and the outcome was not pretty. It had been the worst beating of his life, as it had hindered the quarterback from being able to play in the final game of the season the year before.

Edward's eyes grew fearful when he noticed there were four of them surrounding him. One on each side. They all moved at the same time. The two on the sides grabbed his arms while the one behind snatched his backpack. The guy in front of him punched him in the nose with dead on accuracy. Ed felt the fist collided with his face. He cried out in pain, seeing the blood gushing down his face, but resolved himself not to cry in front of them.

The four teens just laughed and took all the papers from his bag. When they had all his homework that they needed, they ran down the hall, away from him. Ed grabbed a few tissues he kept in the pocket of his bag and pinched his nose to stop the bleeding. Edward walked into the school and navigated to the nurse's office. He knew better than to tell the truth when she asked, so he told her he tripped on the sidewalk, acquiring himself an ice pack and a skeptical look.

Once his nose was not as painful, nor as bloody, he walked to gym. He never took it in his Freshman year, so he was now the only Junior stuck in the class. Mr. Havoc was teaching a new game and everybody was already changed. Ed handed him his note and took a seat on the bleachers.

"Since you're injured you don't have to play today, Elric. But, you will on Monday so pay attention," Mr. Havoc said after skimming the note.

"Yes, sir," Edward answered promptly, now glad it was Friday.

The rest of the period was a haze. Everybody started playing the complicated game that Ed didn't fully understand. He knew nobody cared that he was even there, so he pulled out some homework he might be able to get done for class that day. He always brought his books to other classes, just in case he had time to the homework a second time.

If the paper was blank when the bullies got to it then they wouldn't take it. But, they checked to see if he did more than one. That ruled out doing it twice, and handing them just one copy.

When the hour was done he had finished Chemistry and English homework. So, two classes that guaranteed no detention for not having it done. He walked to his Chemistry class as quickly as possible when the bell rang, as to avoid human contact. Not many people here liked him, so the earlier he got the class, the better.

On the way he passed by the office. He could see the principal, Mr. Bradley, shaking hands with a younger looking man with black hair and onyx colored eyes. The man looked to be from somewhere else, definitely not from around here. He appeared too old to be a student and almost too young to be a teacher. When the principal caught his eye, he looked away, realizing he had been staring. A few seconds later, the two stepped out of the office, unbeknownst to Ed. Edward was looking at the ground, thinking about something completely off topic, when he ran into them and fell to the dirty floor, backwards.

Edward grunted in pain as his back smacked into the hard ground. A concerned voice Ed wasn't familiar with asked, "Are you all right?"

"He's fine. Elric is probably the biggest klutz at the school," Mr. Bradley sneered. Edward knew he only made this assumption because of all the 'accidents' he seemed to get into, and didn't attempt to correct him.

Ed lifted his head from the floor once he was sure his extreme embarrassment wasn't showing on his face. It was bad enough he ran into his principal, but running into a stranger was enough to make him blush. He looked up into the same onyx eyes as were in the office.

"He's getting into trouble all the time so I'm sure he's okay," Principal Bradley continued, "Now, why don't I show you your classroom Mr. Mustang?"

Edward was feeling sort of tired so they only words he heard were, 'trouble', 'classroom', and 'Mr. Mustang'. "So, he must be a teacher? And I already had a bad reputation with him. Lovely. Can't I find one person who doesn't hate me right away?" He thought.

"Hey kid, what's your name?" the stranger asked kindly. This time Edward heard him.

"The name's Edward Elric, and I'm not a kid," He muttered loud enough for the two to hear him.

"Don't speak disrespectfully towards your new teacher, Elric," Bradley chastised.

"New teacher?" he questioned, realizing his assumption was correct.

"Yes, new teacher. Although, you probably won't have him because you're a junior. He teaches AP Calculus, and you're too stupid to keep up with something like that. Mrs. Ling retired from the stress of teaching punks like you," He couldn't help but to throw a jab in there.

"Actually, I will have him if he teaches AP calculus. I may be a junior but that doesn't mean I can't take an advanced class... I would blame the seniors for Mrs. Ling retiring though," Ed replied, offended... and still on the ground.

"Are you going to get up today or will I have to drag you to your next class, Elric? The bell is about to ring," Bradley asked in an irritated tone at being wrong.

"Actually, I kind of like it down here, but I don't want to be late for the dissection lab in science, Sir," He answered in a smart ass way, putting unneeded emphasis on the last word.

"Watch you mouth Elric, or it might just run away," The principal responded as Ed tried to pull himself up. He smiled as he saw him struggle.

Edward was having trouble because there was nothing to grab onto and he had bruises almost everywhere under his clothes. Mr. Mustang reached out a hand to try and help him. Ed took the offered hand and stood up. The moment his feet touched the floor he dropped it. Human contact was uncomfortable for him after all the years of abuse.

"What's wrong this time, Elric? Fall down the stairs, or did you trip on the sidewalk again?" The principal asked in a smug tone. Mr Mustang shot the man a look, still not understanding the animosity between them.

"I-I fell," Edward stammered, too tired to come up with a more colorful excuse. He looked around frantically for something to look at, he hated lying about this.

"Move along, Mr. Elric. Before I have to write you up another late pass," Bradley ordered.

Edward nodded slightly to Mr. Mustang and Principal Bradley, out of respect, before turning in the direction of the Chemistry room. He walked into the classroom just as the bell rang, taking his seat in the way back where everyone would leave him alone.

"Hey, Ed. Why so late today?" Envy asked as he took his seat next to him.

"Apparently there's a new math teacher at the school. I ran into him and Principal Asshole on my way here," Ed whispered back.

"Sorry, Ed," he said sincerely before turning to the dead frog on the desk, "Now... let's cut this fucker open!"

Envy always had a thing for cutting things apart. It was actually kind of sick sometimes.

The bell rang once again that day. The two boys left the class covered in frog guts. They then proceeded to the lunch room where they could finally eat something. Edward sat with Russell, Envy and Fletcher across from them at the table. They talked for a few minutes about the school day so far before Al showed up. He sat next to Ed and took out his lunch.

Edward noticed his brother looked upset about something.

"What's bugging you, Al?" he questioned, nudging him with his elbow.

"Nothing, I just heard there's a hot new teacher who Winry has a crush on," He replied sulkily.

"I told you already, Al, if you like her, then just tell her!" Ed said, "Don't worry, she'll like you back, the teacher isn't that hot. Plus, you too have liked each other forever."

"How would you know? You don't have math until the end of the day. Its only 5th period," Alphonse responded, confused.

"I met him earlier, sorta, I... ummm literally ran into him in the hall," Edward answered embarrassed.

"Oh... So, I should tell her then? But, what if she doesn't like me back? Then she'll never talk to me ever again!" Al panicked.

"Just do it! Here she comes, go tell her right now!" Ed demanded, shoving Al.

"Fine. Wish me luck, Brother!" he said as he got up, looking as if he were sentenced to death.

Edward watched as his little brother approached their childhood friend. Al blushed when he first started talking. By the time he was done, his face was beet red. The automail mechanic seemed to think for a moment before smiling and placing a kiss on Al's cheek. When this happened, Ed could have sworn that Crayola hadn't even made up a color to call his face.

Al walked back over to the table with Winry wrapped around his arm. He took his place next to Ed and as Winry was sliding into hers, he whispered, "Thank you, Ed,"

Edward whispered a short, "No problem," back.

The rest of the lunch break was boring. They talked a bit about new hook-ups, break-ups, food fights, haircuts, glasses. Anything was better than sitting there quietly. Finally, lunch break was over. Edward grabbed the things he needed from his locker and went to his Alchemy class. The one class he always had his homework for. The seniors had taken it the year before, so Ed always had good grades here.

Edward was without a doubt the best student here. Most kids had trouble even remembering the basic rules of alchemy, while Ed didn't even need a circle. He was able to simply clap and do a transmutation, though nobody was sure why. This had him at a great advantage. Today, they studied fire alchemy. Edward had already taught himself this so he let his mind wander.

The period was soon over and he had received another A+ without even paying any attention. He walked to his final actual class, besides homeroom, and opened the door. Nobody was in there yet, except Mr. Mustang, sitting on the edge of his desk looking bored.

"Something wrong?" Ed asked trying to make him aware of another presence without scaring the crap out of him.

"Oh," He said looking up to see Edward taking his seat in the front, "Nothing's wrong... just that most of the students in my classes are sort of idiots," He stated.

"At least you haven't had to be with them as long as I have," Ed replied.

"True, but aren't you a junior in a senior's class?"

"Yes, but I've always taken advanced classes. I don't get to skip a grade because the principal hates me and thinks I'm a trouble maker," he answered truthfully.

More students were now entering the room, so the two cut off their conversation at that. Once everyone was in their seats Mr. Mustang introduced himself.

"I'm Mr. Mustang and I will be your new AP Calculus teacher. Any questions?" He asked, not really expecting any.

A blonde girl with big breasts, that looked more fake than Barbie's, raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"How old are you?" She asked while fluttering her eyelashes at him in an pathetic attempt at flirting.

"Twenty-three," He answered clinically, "Any others?"

Another cheerleader's hand shot up, "Are you married?"

"No, I'm single," Obviously hating saying this, but not wanting to lie.

"Would you date me?" A desperate girl asked, about to jump out of her seat.

Mustang rolled his eyes and decided that he would just stop all the girls from coming onto him by telling them the whole truth. "I'm gay," He stated, actually hoping this would get around and nobody else would act like this anymore.

A few girls gasped, while others squeaked or fell out of their chairs. One even starting sobbing uncontrollably, and had to be escorted by someone and leave the room. The guys, however, looked delighted to hear they got their ladies back. The only one that showed no expression was Edward Elric, he was too busy being shocked.

"Can I start attendance now?" he asked. A few people nodded or said a quiet 'yes'. When that was done, he started speaking again.

"Let's begin by collecting homework. Come up and hand me last night's worksheet. If you don't have it done come up and explain why, or give a note."

Most people came up and handed their homework in to him. Each time he received a paper he would check it off in the old grade book, this was also telling him who usually had their homework, along with how many detention slips had been handed out to them.

"Edward Elric," Roy said, looking up when he recognized the name from that morning.

"I don't have it," Ed replied quietly.

Roy looked down at the grade book and noticed he had only done his homework about four times the entire year so far. But, somehow, he got over 100% on every test or quiz. His detention slip column was filled and took up part of someone else's. This confused Roy as he seemed to be a hard working student.

Mustang hated giving out detentions but that didn't stop him from a taking a pink slip out and writing Ed's name on it. He handed the piece of paper to him and said, "I want to talk to you after school at 3:00 in this room."

"Yes, sir," He replied sadly as he walked back to his seat. When people caught notice of the pink slip in his hands they made snide remarks or grinned smugly at him, as if to say he deserved it.

This was going to be one hell of a school year with Mustang here.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward stays after school for detention with Mr. Mustang. They get snowed in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to get up as many chapters a day as I can, since this story is actually finished, along with the sequel.

When the loud bell rang, Ed gathered up all of his materials into his arms and was first out the door. He was already dreading the end of the day. Edward would have to face Mustang, meaning he would be asked why he didn't have his homework, he would lie, feel guilty, and probably get beaten when he got home.

He stepped into his homeroom to see Russell and Alphonse, already saving his seat in the back between the two.

"Hey, Al. I have a detention today, don't wait up. I know its snowing pretty hard and you should get home as soon as possible," Ed told him.

"Okay, brother. I'll see you when I get home then?" Al asked hesitantly, as the teacher walked into the room.

Edward nodded his head slightly, they weren't supposed to talk during homeroom. Ed took out his homework and got started on what he would never be able to turn in. This made him pissed off, causing a couple of pencils, gripped in his automail hand, to snap in his anger.

When school was finally done for the day, the brothers parted. Edward looked at the clock and noticed he should be in Mustang's room in 3 minutes. He almost ran, trying not to be late and further the bad impression he had surely made.

His watch beeped 3:00 PM right as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," A voice called from inside.

He stepped cautiously into the room, knowing he was in trouble. Mustang was once again sitting on his desk with his head turned towards Edward. Roy gestured for him to take a seat. "Do you know why I asked you to come here today?" He asked Ed, still remaining sat on his desk.

"For not having my homework done?" Edward said what he was sure was the right answer. Roy looked up and caught his eye. After a moment, he slowly moved his head back and forth, obviously disagreeing. Ed gave him a questioning look, as if he had misinterpreted what the older man was meaning to say.

"No, Ed, that's not why," Edward almost gasped in shock when he was addressed by his first name, something his teachers never did.

"It's not for having no homework completed today. It's for never having it done, spare four times," Roy finished.

"I've already gotten detentions for those, as I'm sure you already know. Teachers being all-knowing and everything," Ed replied in a smart-ass tone.

"You're not here to be punished," Edward thought he heard wrong, "You're here so I can understand how you can do great in math, getting 100% on practically every quiz or test, and never do your homework. I can tell it's more than the simple answer of, 'I didn't feel like'. I saw you almost finish it in class when you only got 10 minutes to work on it."

"Care to explain?" Roy asked.

"Not really," Ed answered politely.

"We can stay here all night till you explain. Or, you could tell me, and we figure out how to solve this problem."

"And what if I don't want to tell you?"

"We have all weekend too," Roy replied with a smug grin, knowing he had won.

"We'll be here for a while then. I don't think I need to tell you. It's none of your concern anyways," Edward told him off.

"I'm your teacher. I think it's my business too if you're choosing not to do your homework."

"I'm not choosing to do anything!," Ed yelled, not even realizing his rudeness it until too late.

"If that's true, then you've been doing the homework and not turning it in on purpose. In which case... I would have to call your parents," Roy said, pulling his cell phone from his pocket.

"No, please!" Ed pleaded desperately, all disrespect dropped from his tone. He would be hurt even worse than the bullies could do if they got called in. Telling on the bullies was easier than getting the crap beat out of him when he got home. Roy noticed the fear in his eyes as more than just not wanting to get in trouble. It looked more like the people in the military who had a death sentence over their head.

"Ed?" He questioned when he noticed Edward with his head hung low, bangs covering his face and his whole frame slightly shaking in fear. Acting out of his some instinct he didn't know he had, Roy got up and wrapped his arms around Edward, hugging him close to his chest in a rather un-teacher-like manner. He could feel water falling onto his shirt and see heart-wrenching tears Ed was crying.

"Please tell me what's going on, Edward. I want to be able to help you, but I can't if you don't tell me," Roy whispered, trying to calm to the boy down.

"I'm fine," Ed replied stubbornly, while silent tears still cascaded down his face.

"You and I both know that's a lie, so how 'bout we try the truth this time?" Roy said with a slight smile on his face.

"It's just some seniors who take my homework. It's nothing serious, I can handle it on my own," Edward said softly, his tone hushed.

"I'm going to help you, whether you want it or not," Roy replied stubbornly.

"Do whatever you want. I really don't care, it doesn't matter to me one way or another."

The two stayed like that for a while, Ed felt safe and secure for once when he was in those arms.

"Not that I'm kicking you out or anything, but you should probably leave soon. It's almost 4:30, we've been here for a while," Roy said, breaking the peaceful silence.

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you Monday," Edward said as Roy let him go. He grabbed his bag and headed to the door. Roy followed suit after he had grabbed his briefcase from behind his desk. The two made their way to the front of the school without saying anything.

Roy reached out a gloved hand to turn the handle and open the door to the exit. He pushed hard to open it but it wasn't budging. "Mustang?" Edward questioned, now getting panicky.

"It's not moving, I think we might be snowed in," Roy grunted while trying to push open the main doors.

"Shit," Edward muttered, not caring he was in front of a teacher.

"Damn, this sucks," Roy agreed. Edward was surprised to hear him swear, another teachers did NOT do.

"So... what are we going to do?" Ed asked the older man.

"Well, Ed, it looks liked we're spending the weekend together, whether we want to or not," Roy replied.

Edward took a moment to let this sink in before realizing: he would get to be with Roy all weekend. This might actually be fun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Roy learn a bit more about each other. Roy sees the bruises.

"Is there even food here?" Ed asked quietly.

"Should of known the teenage boy would care about food first..." Roy muttered, "There is a cafeteria Edward," he pointed out with a small laugh.

"Oh yeah, forgot about that," Edward said, embarrassed he overlooked this fact.

"There's plenty of stuff in the emergency supplies we can use until they get us out of here."

"What do we do until then?"

"Well, I'm going to call someone to see how soon we can get out," Roy replied, "Why don't you go to my classroom and wait there for me. Grab anything you need from your locker while you're headed there."

"Okay," Ed replied. Roy took out his cell and started looking for a signal while Edward walked to his locker.

He was lucky he had clean gym clothes he could use as pajamas rather than his uncomfortable clothes.

Ed stuffed them into his bag and made his way to where Roy's classroom was. It was still unlocked, so he turned the handle and took a seat at a desk, laying his head down on his jacket as a makeshift pillow, exhausted from the day already.

He he didn't even notice the door open, or any of the footsteps leading up to behind him.

"Edward?"

"Ah!" Ed fell out of his seat from the surprise.

"You okay?" Roy looked caught between laughter and concern as he offered a helping hand.

Edward took the hand and responded, "I'm fine. I wasn't paying attention so you startled me."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, the smile still on his face.

"It's my fault. So, did you get ahold of anyone?" He said as he sat up.

"Yes, I did. Unfortunately, they probably won't even be able to get on the roads until Sunday, then it will take awhile to get the pile of snow away from the doors."

"Oh, well, what do we do until dinner?"

"While we're here, we might as well talk," Roy responded.

"About what?"

"Why don't you tell me about yourself."

"Like what?" Ed asked, he didn't think there was much to be said.

"Hobbies, favorite colors, music you like, family, anything really. We'll be here for a while so we could at least get to know each other,"

"Well, I guess I enjoy hanging out with my friends. My favorite color is red, I suppose. I like most classical music..." Ed hesitated at his family, "It's just Izumi, Sig, Alphonse and I in my house. I'm pretty boring, there's not much to know."

"Actually, I don't think you're boring at all. You seem pretty interesting to me," Roy smiled kindly, trying to sooth his obvious nervousness.

"Really?" Ed's face brightened and Roy nodded.

"Now you have to tell me about you, Equivalent Exchange," Edward pointed out.

"So you're an alchemist I take it?" Roy questioned, seeming surprised.

"Yeah, but no getting off subject," Edward replied quickly.

"Fine, I just got my teaching license. I was in the military for a couple of years when I was younger, I'm also an alchemist. I have a sister named Sarah and my parents live a while away."

"You were a state alchemist?" Roy nodded slightly, clearly not wanting to discuss it.

"What was your ranking?"

"I was a colonel."

"Why did you quit then?" Ed questioned, wondering why he would give that up.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not say..." he trailed off.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Edward apologized quickly, not wanting him to be angry at Ed.

"No, it's fine. It's just kind of personal," Roy replied with a comforting smile.

"What time is it?" Edward asked, trying to change the subject away from the previous topic.

"About 6:30," Roy answered, looking down at his watch, "Would you like to get something to eat?"

"Umm..." his stomach growled, "I sort of didn't eat breakfast or lunch, so that would be nice," Ed explained, embarrassed.

"Why didn't you eat breakfast or lunch?" Edward knew it was because his mother beat him before he could eat anything, and the bullies stole his lunch; he refused to mooch off his brother. That isn't what he told Mustang though.

"I was running late this morning, I didn't have time to eat and I forgot my lunch at home," Roy could tell Ed was lying to him, but decided to drop the subject for now.

Roy got up from his seat and Edward followed. They walked down the hall towards the cafeteria's kitchen.

Mustang opened the fridge and grabbed two soda's. He tossed one to Ed and kept the other in his hand.

"So, what do you want to eat Ed?"

"What is there?" he asked.

Roy led Edward towards the other fridge and pantry and they grabbed what they wanted. Ed had a ham and cheese sandwich while Roy had turkey and swiss. They each grabbed a bag of chips and sat at one of the tables.

Edward was too hungry to have a conversation so he just ate his food. When they had both finished, they stood and threw away all the trash.

"Let's go and get the emergency sleeping bags from the school basement before it gets dark. After that, you can take a shower in the locker room if you want," Ed nodded, happy he would have a chance to clean himself up.

Roy led the way to the basement and he started down the creaky stairs with Ed following behind. They found a couple of sleeping bags on the shelf nearest to them. Roy took down two red ones and handed one to Edward.

"I'm gonna go take a shower and change now," he informed the older.

Roy nodded, "Just come to back to classroom when you're done so I can go and take one too."

"Why don't you just come take one now?" Ed asked confused.

"...wouldn't it be awkward to shower in front of your teacher?" Roy questioned, leaving out the part about it being worse due to his sexuality.

Edward blushed, now realizing what Mustang was saying, "Not really. The showers are seperated by stalls, it wouldn't matter. If you wait the pipes might be frozen by the time you get there..."

"Okay, then, we should shower now, before the water ends up freezing in the pipes."

The two walked back upstairs and into the gym. When they reached the locker room they looked away while they stripped off their clothes and walked into the shower stalls. Ed ripped his hair tie out so that it wouldn't dry wavy from the braid.

The warm water felt good on Ed's bruised skin and healing wounds. Edward left the shower first and tried to get dressed quickly before the teacher saw his beat up body or the ugly automail.

Roy walked out of the shower, already having wrapped a towel around his waist. Ed only had his boxers and sweatpants on at the moment. He tried to quickly hide his automail and damaged flesh, but Roy saw the metal gleam and some rather ugly bruises scattered on his chest and arms that had been previously covered.

"Edward?" he asked sounding scared and concerned at the same time.

Edward didn't want to explain yet, so he threw his shirt over his head, grabbed his bag off the bench and quickly fled the room before Roy could ask anything else. He needed time to think of what to say. Edward knew he would have to tell the truth, but he could at least hold the confrontation off for a bit.

Edward situated the sleeping bag onto the ground and sat on it as soon as he entered the room. This required him to move a few desks off to the side first though.

He heard footsteps coming from the door behind him and immediately bowed his head so as not to have to look Roy in the eye. The footsteps stopped nearvy and he felt someone wrap their arms around his waist. The arms pulled him against the owner's chest into a hug .

"Please tell me Ed..." the person whispered softly in his ear.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes out. Roy and Ed sleep together. Literally.

Edward hesitated. As much as it would be great to get the pressure off, he would get taken away from his brother. And he couldn't let that happen. But... then again, maybe Roy could help? Ed was so confused about what to do, so he let his body take over for a moment while his brain thought everything out. He didn't even realize he was relaxing into Mustang's embrace.

Roy, however, could feel this and his arms instantly turned more gentle and protective. Why did he care so much what was happening in this one student's life? He could have dropped it, Edward had said he could handle it! But, for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to even think what would occur if he ignored Ed.

Was he... falling for Edward? No, that couldn't be it, he wasn't a pedophile! Ed was just another student. Just another student, whom he was cradling in his arms... and he was enjoying it.

Damn, maybe he did like Ed like that! But, he couldn't risk it. On top of the immorality of it, if Edward didn't feel the same, then he would lose his job, reputation, and possibly go to jail.

But... what if he did feel the same? Well, that would be a whole different story. They would still be sneaking around, and it still wouldn't be legal. But, at least then he would have motivation for keeping it hidden. If Edward felt the same he would have to try and find out this weekend. As soon as they were done discussing what was wrong with Ed he could only subtly flirt and see what the younger man would do.

Edward was thinking at the same time, both of them thoroughly distracted.

Roy's arms felt so good wrapped around his body, and his mind trailed off... he wondered what it would feel like to have his pink lips pressed against his- wait, where the hell did that come from? He couldn't possibly like his new teacher! That wasn't right, he wasn't even gay! "But Roy is..." a sneaky little voice in his head said.

Oh, fucking hell. This could be a problem. Even if he did like his teacher, Roy couldn't like him back. There wasn't even a way for the older man to tell him if he did. Roy didn't like him, so he should enjoy his new found fantasies and then just banish them from his mind.

Should he tell Roy what had been going on? He had already proved himself to be a trustworthy person... and its not like he could make the situation any worse. He would tell.

"I-," Ed's voice sounded hoarse from the while of not using it.

"Yes, Edward?" Roy asked as he was pulled out of his reverie.

"Its my parents..." Edward whispered, feeling lighter already with getting just that bit of information out.

"What did they do to you, Ed?" Mustang questioned gently. He couldn't make Edward feel like he was cornered or that he was too eager. If he did, then the blonde teen would most likely go back into his shell like a small animal and wouldn't finish his statement.

"They... th-they... they hurt me. Bad," He couldn't even complete the sentence fully before he shuddered and a few traitor tears broke through his usually tough exterior.

"Oh, sweetie," Roy whispered, not sure where the term of endearment came from. Mustang gripped him tighter to his chest and freed one hand to run through Edward's -still wet- hair.

Roy wasn't quite sure what he was expecting to hear, but he probably knew this all along as he worked it out in his brain, and chose to deny it in his head. In the hopes it somehow wasn't true.

If you were so sure of something false being the truth, would the truth still make it's self known? Yes, it probably would.

"Edward? How long have they been abusing you?" Roy asked wanting to make sure he knew everything.

"I-I... as long as I can remember. I don't know, I just always remember them doing it, I can't exactly give you a date," Ed answered, very panicked. 

"You don't have to tell me anymore. At least not tonight," Roy scooped Edward off his lap and set him gently next to him. He stood up and spread out his red sleeping bag on the ground next to Ed's.

Edward scooted to the entrance of his and pulled on the zipper. It wouldn't budge. He tried again. Still nothing, by this time Ed was about to transmute the stupid thing into a pile of ash when Roy realized something was bothering him. The frustrated look on his face kind of gave it away.

"Something wrong?" Roy questioned with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, the damn zipper won't move," Edward growled, still pulling on it.

"Move over, let me try," Roy swept his hand away. In the brief moment their hands touched they both felt something. Shocked as they were, they didn't ask what it was. "Sorry," Roy muttered, his cheeking now splashed with a pink tinge.

Mustang pulled with all the muscles in his body-builder looking figure. Damn thing was still not moving an inch.

"Fuck, Ed, what the hell did you do to this thing?"

"Me? I didn't do anything! Its that zipper you should be angry at!" Edward defended himself.

"I'm not angry at you, if that's what you think. I'm just stressed out right now," Roy continued.

"God damnit!" Roy yelled. He quickly pulled out a pair of gloves with a red design stitched onto the material. He snapped, aiming straight at the sleeping bag. It caught on fire and went out just as quickly. The bag, however, wasn't looking so great.

"Whoops," Roy realizing what he had just done, "You were supposed to sleep in that."

"I'm fine. It's not even that cold," Edward's body betrayed him as a small shiver passed through him.

"You liar, you're freezing your ass off," Roy said, "Here, take mine. I'm older and I've been through worse than going without a sleeping bag before."

"No, I'm not taking yours. You'll freeze your butt off! You aren't that much older than me. And you'll end up getting hypothermia!"

"Fine, have it your way, Ed. But, that means that you're sharing mine with me."

Edward blushed, he decided to cover it up by sounding outraged, "N-no way! I don't need a sleeping bag! I will not sleep in the same sleeping bag as you, they're too small anyways."

"You shouldn't have hypothermia either. And it's not too small, I got the bigger one. Whether you will admit it or not, you're small. You'll fit fine."

Edward actually liked the idea of sleeping next to him, but he couldn't go down without even a fake fight.

"You win, old man. I'll share it with you." He walked up to Roy as he was unzipping the opening for Ed to get it.

He hopped into the bag and anxiously waited for Roy to join him. Mustang turned off the lights and crawled in, next to Edward.

Ed kept turning from side to side and moving around trying to get comfortable. It was driving Roy insane. The sound of nylon rubbing against itself repeatedly was not helping him get to sleep. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore, so he grabbed Edward gently by the shoulders and pulled him against his body. Roy wrapped his arms around Ed and held him close.

Two problems solved with one action. How convenient; flirting and getting quiet.

At this rate, Edward Elric would be his in no time at all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More bonding. And then they leave school.

Edward woke up as a cold chill passed over his body. He shivered and buried himself further into the sleeping bag, noticing the distinct loss of heat. Ed slowly opened his eyes to see that it was already afternoon, according to the clock.

"Ed?" The person sitting near him asked, "You up?"

"Yeah, I just woke up," He said weakly, his voice was gravelly from disuse as he slept.

"Good, then we can go get food. I've been awake for awhile waiting for you."

"You should've woken me up," Edward muttered, his face turning red and he felt slightly embarrassed that Roy had been waiting for him.

"No, you seemed like you needed some sleep. Besides, you look too peaceful when you sleep," Roy blushed, the second thought was supposed to stay in his head.

"What?" Ed asked thinking he had heard wrong, but hoping he hadn't.

"Nothing, Edward. Lets go eat," Roy jumped to his feet. From there, he assisted Ed in getting out.

The two walked silently to the cafeteria. The awkwardness from Roy's earlier statement still hung in the air.

"So... what's to eat?" Ed asked. He thought they only had lunch food here.

"Well, teachers have their own private refrigerator in the lounge. I keep breakfast food in it, so we can have cereal and milk," Roy smiled, "That's about the only breakfast food I eat."

Ed's face showed distaste at the mention of milk. But, besides that, cereal sounded good to him.

They walked over and got their breakfast. As they sat at a cafeteria table and made small-talk the awkwardness was slowly leaving the atmosphere.

"What are we going to do until they come to get us?"

"There are plenty of things to keep us occupied."

"Like?" Ed questioned skeptically.

"A gym... and lots of basketballs. If you want to play a game today, we can."

"Sure, sounds fun," Edward smiled. He knew he could beat him, it was what Al and him played outside in their free time.

Roy went to the ball rack and tossed a new orange basketball to Ed. 'This should be fun,' Roy thought.

"Ready to play, old man?" Roy gave a fake gasp and look of shock.

"Excuse me? Old? I don't think so, Ed!" He snatched the ball and shot it half way across the gym and landed it right in the hoop. Edward just stood there gaping like a fish out of the water. He had never seen anybody do anything like that.

"What was that?" Edward questioned.

"That's me playing high school basketball. Several years ago, of course," He gave a chuckle at Ed's determined face.

By the end of the intense game, the two were covered in sweat and breathing heavily. The score was 27-32 with Roy winning.

"Wow... you're... good" Ed panted out between breathes.

"You.. too.." Roy replied, reaching for a handshake.

"We should probably take a shower. You smell kind of nasty, even for a teenage boy," Roy suggested with a small laugh.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? I played basketball for two hours! Of course I'm gonna smell!" Ed ranted, "...We should probably shower though. We do smell bad," Edward finished once he calmed down to realize what Roy was talking about.

Edward headed to the locker room and grabbed more gym clothes to change into. Roy just stood there looking uncomfortable. Ed wondered why until he realized that he didn't have any clean clothes to wear.

He walked over to the locker of one of the tall bullies who stole his homework and clapped his hands together. He placed them against the lock and opened the door. Edward grabbed the clothes inside and tossed them to Mustang. These clothes would fit him well enough. It's hard not to fit in a loose shirt and sweatpants.

"No transmutation circle?" Roy asked extremely surprised as he caught them.

"Nope," he replied.

"Who's clothes are these?"

"They belong to some idiot who took my homework. Revenge is nice," Edward said smiling menacingly.

They stripped off their clothes in different parts of the locker room again. Ed stepped into the his shower stall and washed away all the shiny sweat on his skin. He heard Roy open the door to the one next to him. Edward only stayed in until he was sure that all of his skin was clean once again. He only had his boxers and pants on when Roy walked into the room completely dressed.

Edward didn't worry about covering up as much, he already knew all of his secrets anyways. But Roy was staring at his right arm, Ed just brushed it off. Then he realized that it was the automail he was looking at. Ed hadn't explained about that yet.

He decided to stop the staring and answer the unasked question, "My parents pushed me into the road when I was ten. One of my good friends, Winry, is an automail mechanic and she made it for me. I know it's ugly; I hate it, but it's better than having a stump," Ed's eyes tearing up from this painful confession.

"I had no idea. I'm so sorry, Edward, about everything that has happened to you. You shouldn't have to deal with this treatment," Roy said walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I can't tell the police. Or anyone else. If they found out, then Al and I will go to foster homes and be separated. I can't leave him, he's my baby brother!" He begged Roy to understand.

"But if this keeps happening you could end up dead. You may not like having the possibility of leaving your brother, but it's better than dying! People other than your brother would care if you died!" Roy exclaimed.

"Like who?" Ed yelled angrily with a self pitying tone.

"I would care, Edward! I care whether you live or die... so, why don't you?" Roy replied, slightly sad.

"You don't care! Nobody cares about me! The world would be better without me anyways! I'm just a bother to everyone who knows me!" Ed cried.

"Stop being dramatic, Ed. I told you I care. A lot of people care about your well being. The world would be a sad place without you, Edward!" Roy replied, he moved closer to Ed and pulled him tight against his chest. He cried into the older's shirt as Roy sat down on one of the benches and pulled him into his lap.

Roy reached to the back of his head and pulled Ed's hairtie out of his hair. Roy gently ran his hands through his wavy golden locks. Why did he have to look so appealing? He was in love and he couldn't even try to deny it anymore. He had pretty much turned into a pedophile over one weekend.

Flirting time was going to begin soon. He needed to make this teenager his. He just had to hope that Ed felt the same way.

Edward was loving the feeling of the older man's hand running through his loose hair. He felt warm and safe in his arms. He was the only one who could calm him down and make him feel like someone might really care. But he couldn't possibly feel the same way back? Ed knew he loved his teacher but it was a taboo relationship. Forbidden love, how cliche, yet that didn't make him want Roy any less.

"Thank you," Edward whispered once his sobs subsidded into a few stray tears, "I needed that."

"It's fine, Ed. You deserve to be cared about. You're worth it, whether you think so or not, I do," Roy replied.

This made Edward take a moment to consider his reply. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Ed, what is it?" he responded cautiously.

"What do you do when you're in love with someone?" he asked, catching Roy off guard. This was not what he thought was going to ask. But... that meant his heart already belonged to someone else. Was it that Winry girl? He had to let him go if he was already taken. Roy could at least help him out.

"Well, if you really love them, then you should tell them, I guess. Or show them, depends how brave you are. But, you should never just not say or do anything about it," Every word was hurting him, even though he was speaking from the heart. But wasn't that exactly what he was doing, by not showing his feelings? Great, he was now a pedophile and a hypocrite. Damn, he deserved an award for best person of the year.

Ed seemed to consider this carefully for a moment. "Okay," he said quietly. He took a deep breath. Edward wanted to tell Roy, or even show him, but what would he do if it didn't work? He would no doubt be expelled for even trying. And he would probably get the worst beating of his life from his parents. Were the stakes worth the prize?

Yes, Roy was worth it.

Or, at least, he thought so.

Edward leaned forward slightly. He seemed to hesitate for a moment. Roy realized what he was going to do and he leaned forward too. Their lips were only a centimeter apart and they could taste each other's breath in their mouths. Ed wrapped his arms around Roy's neck while Roy put his around Edward's small waist. Just as their lips brushed lightly together-

BANG! The two heard the noise and immediately jumped apart. There stood a small rescue squad-who were not supposed to be there for another day. Luckily, the two heard the door opening, so none of them saw what Roy and Edward were about to do.

"There you guys are! We were looking around for you. You must've left your cell phone back in your classroom."

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Mustang replied, still upset at being interuppted.

"I'll see you Monday, Mr. Mustang," Edward muttered walking out of the room. He needed to get home before Izumi and Sig came looking for him. Al was probably worrying and he needed his little brother to help him with his confusing emotions right now.

"Wait, Ed," Roy called after him.

Ed heard him, but thought it better to ignore him, for now, at least until he could figure everything out.

He needed to know if his feelings for the older man were true or not. Edward couldn't be sure, so until he was, they would have no contact other than class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I managed to get the first 5 chapters edited and uploaded within a day. Go me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed spends the weekend at home. Alphonse is concerned for him. He goes back to school on Monday and thinks of Mustang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to get these up whenever I have time to edit them:P

Edward trekked home through the snow, cold air biting at his face. He didn't own a winter coat so his red jacket was all that was protecting him from the harsh weather. If only Roy was here... But Ed couldn't talk to him until he knew what was going on between them.

His skin ached already, knowing he would be punished by his mother and father when he got home, regardless of his explanation. The house looked ominous as he walked up the snowy driveway. Each crunch of his footsteps sounded like impending pain to him.

Ed reached for the door handle and cautiously turned it. "Hello?" He called out as soon as he walked in and toed his boots off. If he didn't make his arrival known they would be even angrier.

"WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?" Izumi screeched from above, as she pounded her way down the stairs. As soon as she reached him, he was slapped harshly. Grabbing his collar and almost choking him while growling, "I asked you a question!"

"I-I-I was... I was stuck in the school!" He stuttered in fright.

"Explain. Now. You have 30 seconds," She demanded impatiently.

"I got detention from my AP calculus teacher. When we went to leave the building we found out we were snowed in. I had to spend the weekend there. There was no way to contact you. It wasn't my fault, I swear. Please don't hurt me," Ed spoke quickly.

She merely let go of his collar and threw him to the ground as a response. "Don't let it happen again, I won't be so nice next time."

Edward ran up to his room and changed into clean, comfortable pajamas. He carefully slipped on a black t-shirt and plaid sweat pants. Ed crawled into his bed and decided to get the sleep now that he probably wouldn't tonight.

Edward managed to over-sleep all the way into the next morning. He stayed in his room for the rest of the day reading a few books and manga he hadn't gotten to. His brother had been out all day with some friends and his parents left him alone if he stayed upstairs. Unfortunately, while he was reading, he felt like an ADHD child who had spotted a butterfly. He couldn't concentrate on the books very much, his mind kept going back to Roy.

Edward wasn't really hungry, or maybe he was and chose to ignore it. Either way, he didn't eat anything all day.

When he finally heard his brother arrive home he realized that there was school the next morning. He really should get to bed, even if it wouldn't help his concentration much.

Once again, he awoke to birds chirping happily outside his window. Edward quickly got out of bed and got dressed, grabbed his backpack and went down the stairs. Izumi and Sig slept in on Mondays, so only Al was down there to join him for breakfast.

"Morning, brother! I haven't talked to you all weekend. You've been up in your room, is something wrong?" Alphonse's smile fell off his face when he saw how Ed looked.

"No Al, I'm just confused. I have a few things that I need to figure out."

"Like what?" He pried.

"Nothing, Al... just some personal stuff. I promise that when I figure it all out, I'll tell you."

"Okay, brother, you know you can always talk to me," Al smiled kindly.

"I know, Alphonse. We should be getting to school now though," Ed pointed out. Alphonse nodded in agreement and they left the house.

It was still lightly snowing, but most of it had melted on the ground. As soon as they reached the school grounds, Al left to meet up with some friends. Edward looked up right on time to see a senior standing in his way.

"My homework?" He asked impatiently.

Ed decided if he never learned to stand up to them, he would be bullied the rest of his life. "No," He said making a quick judgement of the guy's intelligence level.

The senior looked as if nobody had ever said such a thing to him, which -considering who he was-, they probably hadn't.

"Excuse me?" The older teen asked, feigning politeness, "Did I give you an option?"

"I don't really think so, but I'm tired of doing your damn homework!" Edward yelled losing his temper.

"You have about 5 seconds to hand it over before I beat the crap out of you," He smirked, "5..4,3..2...1 ," The bully pulled back his fist to hit Ed but was too slow. Edward grabbed his wrist with his automail hand and directed the senior's arm away from himself.

Edward knew that, had there been anymore of them, he wouldn't have even tried. He also knew that if they caught up with him after school he would be ambushed by a crowd of older teens. But, for now, it was worth it to get to stop the idiot who tried to mess with him.

Most of the day went by in a blur. Ed had too much on his mind, so not much stood out to him about each class. Before he knew it, the bell for lunch rang. He maneuvered his way from his locker to the cafeteria easily, being small had to have some perks.

"Hey, Ed, how was your weekend?" Edward looked over his shoulder to see who had called to him. It was Envy, wearing his usual black, non-school appropriate attire.

"Oh, it was fine. Nothing special anyways," He didn't know why, but something in his head told him not to tell anyone what had really happened over the weekend.

"Cool, I went up north to a cabin my family owns. 27 acres to hunt on," He grinned deviously.

"Sounds like fun," Ed replied.

"Oh, it most definitely was! All the animals we shot! So much blood!" A grin slowly spread across his face whilst he spoke.

Edward smiled awkwardly at his sadistic friend, "Ummm, Envy, you're starting to creep me the hell out."

"Oh, sorry," He laughed with an apology, going back to his usual demeanor.

The two sat down and began to eat their lunches. Envy could always tell when Ed wasn't in a talking mood. This was one of those times that Edward didn't like being interrupted in his thoughts.

The bell rang, catching Ed by surprise. It hadn't been that long, had it?

Edward threw away the rest of the little lunch he hadn't ate and headed for his locker. Unfortunately, Ed was stuck with a top locker, therefore somebody had to help him to get his books for certain classes.

Russell walked up behind the struggling shorty and grabbed the AP Calculus binder he had been reaching for.

"Thanks, Russ."

"No problem, Eddie," Edward ignored the pet name he hated and grabbed his binder back from him.

Looking at his watch, he noticed he had 2 minutes to get across the school and into his desired classroom. "Shit!" He exclaimed, taking off through the halls. Once again, he got thrown onto his butt when he ran into someone.

"Going somewhere important, Mr. Elric?" Vice-Principal Sheska asked with a joking smile.

"Ummm, I'm sorry! I was trying to get to my class on time, Miss! Please, forgive me!" Ed apologized quickly.

"It's okay, Mr. Elric. Let me write you a late pass." Ed followed her to an empty classroom. She took out a slip of paper and jotted a quick late excuse just as the bell rang.

"Thank you so much, Miss Sheska."

"No problem, Ed. I know Mr. Bradley's tough on you, and a lot of the teachers don't exactly get along with you."

Edward nodded, happy she was the only one who was ever nice to him.

Ed walked back into the hallway and made his way to AP Calculus. Just as he opened the door, Mr. Mustang looked over at the sound.

"Care to explain your lateness, Elric?" Ed could tell he was only keeping up the strict act so as not to allow anyone to get suspicious. But still, it sort of hurt to hear him say it in a teacher's indifferent tone, than his usual kind one.

"I have a late pass from Miss Sheska," Edward explained, walking up and handing him the pass.

Roy looked over it quickly and motioned for Ed to take his seat.

He set his things down and pulled out his binder with the weekend's homework out on his desk.

"Well, as I was explaining, before Mr. Elric decided to rudely interrupt..."

Edward wasn't really concentrating on his math much. All he could see were his teacher's coal colored eyes and jet black hair. It was hard for Ed to know he couldn't just go out and tell Roy his feelings. There were a couple reasons for that: 1) He was a teacher, Ed was a student. 2) It was the middle of class. 3) He wasn't even sure of his feeling yet!

Edward was also kind of curious to know how the older man would react to Ed's feelings.

There was no way to tell for sure. He had only known the man for a few days! And yet it felt as if they'd always been meant to be together.

The bell rang, pulling Edward away from the little world he was in.

Roy was grading the papers from his last class. He waited until there were only a few people left in the classroom. Mr. Mustang looked up, expecting to see his favorite blonde waiting to talk to him. But, Edward wasn't there. Did he not like Roy? Mustang was fairly sure Edward had been about to kiss him in the locker room. Could he have misinterpreted his intentions?

If he had read the teen's body language wrong, then he could have very well scared him off for good. God, he could be such an idiot sometimes!

Well, only one way to find out what was on his student's mind... ask him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward gets hurt on the way home from school. Roy rescues him. Then kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter #2 for today. hopefully I can get up a third tonight

Ed slung his backpack over his shoulder as he exited the school. For once, he had his homework turned in, so he could go straight home. It was kind of nice to leave at the same time as everyone else. He pondered the thought that he was doing something normal. It seemed funny how nothing else in his life was normal.

Just as Edward was rounding the first corner, he tripped over a stray pencil in the middle of the sidewalk. "Damnit!" He had fallen face first to the icy path. His dignity and pride were the only thing that really hurt though.

Ed let out a cry of pain as someone aimed a kick at his side. "We heard you didn't give our friend his homework," The owner of the foot said. He was surrounded by 3 other upperclassmen at the school.

"It's my homework, not his," Edward said bravely, albeit a bit stupidly. This gained him more weight on his back, which he could only guess was one of them standing on him, holding him to the ground.

"You got Cory into detention. Little Eddy, you was supposed to do his homework for him. You know what happens when you disobey your elders," The older boy smirked talking with about the worst grammar you could possibly imagine.

Edward scrunched his face in pain as someone even more heavy stood on him. This was worse than some of his most painful beatings he had ever received. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? The rest of the teens kicked and hit him with things. Ed raised his head slightly to see the metallic glint of a knife in one of the senior's hands.

Edward put his head back down, hoping they would make it quick. He had accepted that death was a possibility for him years ago, ever since he realized that his parents loathed him. Ed waited: for pain, a stab, a bright light, a dark abyss, anything that would say he was losing the battle for his life.

He felt one quick slice across his leg before he heard the snowy footsteps of the bullies walking away. So, they had left him, in the middle of the icy cold ground, in winter, with no help. That was just fucking fantastic. Ed was only aware of hearing someone call his name in a worried voice before he blacked out.

~Mean While~

Roy Mustang was still pondering reasons why Edward could be ignoring him. Did he think that Roy knew exactly what he was going to do, and would have rejected him? Anything seemed possible, he was a teenage boy after all. Not that Roy was very much his senior, he was only a few years older.

Mustang decided he should finish this last paper he was grading and take the rest home. He wasn't going to be able to concentrate with so many memories here. Roy packed the papers into his bag and put it onto his back. He headed out of the school and began walking on the cement path. Roy didn't trust this not-so-safe neighborhood he was teaching in, so he parked his car a street down.

As soon as he turned the corner, he noticed a student with golden hair looking like hell, laying on the ground. Roy's heart fluttered faster when he realized who the student was. This was Edward Elric. "Ed?" He asked in an alarmed tone. He saw Edward's head try to lift before he finally passed out.

Roy rushed over to the teens side. He noticed many footprints on his back and a rather deep cut on his upper leg. The same people had gotten to Ed, and Roy hadn't been able to help him. Roy ignored the heavy bag he was carrying and got down to lift Edward bridal-style into his arms. The boy was injured and left out in the harsh, unforgiving weather.

He couldn't very-well leave Edward here to wake up -or not- on his own. Even if he thought of him as nothing more than a student, it would be cruel to abandon him.

Roy noticed that even with the automail, Ed didn't feel like he weighed as much as he should be. Was he not being fed? Or, was he choosing not to eat? All of these questions he wondered about on his walk to the car.

When he came to the red Mustang, he opened the door and laid Edward down in his backseat. He would have to let the teen rest at his house, at least until he woke. After all, Roy had no idea where the boy lived. And hopefully, they could discuss what happened. The older man took off his jacket and draped it over the younger. Roy drove quickly back to his house and picked Edward up.

Mustang walked through the door and kicked off his shoes. This was hard to do with a bag over his shoulder and unconscious teen in his arms. Roy stepped into his living room and set Edward onto the black leather couch. He grabbed a warm feather blanket he kept in the closet and brought it back to the room.

Roy needed to get Ed into warm clothes and clean any injuries he had sustained. Well, this might be a little bit awkward, seeing as he liked Ed as more than a favorite student. Roy let out a huff of air he hadn't realized he was holding. He made his way to closet upstairs that held extra clothes for guests. Roy pulled out the smallest t-shirt and sweat pants he could find.

He looked at the teen and decided this would need to be done if he wanted him to get better. Roy carefully unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it off his small frame. He looked thinner than the previous time he had seen the younger. Mustang maneuvered the clean white shirt over Ed's head. It became difficult when it got caught on a hidden earring in his cartilage.

Roy hadn't even noticed the diamond stud in there before. Ed had never mentioned it, so he hadn't seen it.

Mustang unzipped Ed's pants and slipped them off carefully, leaving him in only his boxers and shirt. Roy thought the cut on his thigh needed to be attended to before he could put sweatpants on him. He got the first-aid kit and came back to treat the injury. Roy cleaned the cut, seeing Ed flinch unconsciously in his sleep, and wrapped his upper leg gently with soft gauze. He smiled, thinking about how Ed would realize he had seen him in his boxers.

The blush that would grace his slightly tan face would make him even more stunning.

When had he come to terms with falling for the teen? He had just let the inappropriate thoughts surface and hadn't bothered denying them.

Roy finished treating his wound and pulling on the loose sweatpants. He laid Ed more comfortably on the couch and draped the feather blanket over him. He could at least let the teen get some sleep before bombarding him with questions and throwing pain pills at him. He knew Ed would be in world of hurt when he woke up. Those new bruises on his back looked none too pleasant.

Roy pulled out a book he was reading and sat on an armchair opposite the younger. He would stay here until Edward woke up.

Mustang soon became distracted from what he was reading as he began just watching his student. He started to notice little details that made him look more beautiful. Like the way his eyelashes curled onto his cheeks when he slept. Or the way his body took air in so peacefully. He looked like he had the best life and could be the happiest person on the earth when he slept.

It was only when his eyelids opened that the golden orbs haunted with his past could destroy that image. Roy began feeling a sudden urge to embrace the boy. He wanted that kiss that was interrupted by the rescue team. He wanted to be able to feel Ed's lips moving with his own. He wanted to be able to taste every crevice in Ed's hot mouth. He wanted Edward Elric, his student.

Age didn't matter. What gender they were couldn't hinder Roy. He had fallen for the short blonde, and hard.

Roy didn't even think about the consequences. He just kneeled on the ground next to the couch and leaned over the boy. He gently pressed his lips to Ed's soft ones. As Roy was pulling away, Edward's arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him deeper into the kiss.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the kiss. Ed goes home to an angry mother. Roy saves him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the kudos so far! I really appreciate them. Hope you enjoy the next chapter!

Roy froze. Ed was... kissing back? He looked up at his face, into his eyes, and was shocked. Edward was awake and looking at him cautiously. As if asking if he was okay. Roy hated the scared look in his eyes, he wanted to get rid of it. He decided to throw all his hesitation away and enjoy the time being. He could deal with the results later. They couldn't really be that bad... could they?

Roy wrapped his arms around Ed's waist and sat on the couch, pulling the teen onto his lap. All the while, never breaking the kiss. Edward was startled for a moment, but quickly recovered. They were in the arms of the ones they held feelings for, locking lips nonetheless! Could this really get much better? The answer was no, no it couldn't.

Edward was doing his best to keep up with Roy's kissing expertise. This was his first kiss, even platonic, but he wasn't going to tell Mustang that. His foster parents would never show affection and he and Al thought it too girly. Edward let out a moan when he felt a tongue licking his bottom lip. Without even thinking about it, he allowed it access into his mouth.

The older man was enjoying this just as much... Until he realized what he was doing. Kissing. His student. He knew needed to stop without hurting Ed. If this went any farther than kissing, Roy would lose his job and Edward would surely have consequences. Mustang didn't want to stop, but it would be for the best...

Roy slowly unwrapped his arms from around Ed's waist and pulled his tongue out of his mouth, ending the kiss. He gave him one sweet peck on the lips before pulling him against his chest and hugging him tightly. "Edward," He whispered into his ear.

"Mr. Mustang," He said back questioningly.

He let out a small laugh, "Uh, Ed, I think we've gone past the point where you can call me Roy."

"Okay," Edward agreed, "Roy it is,"

"But... um... so you uh, like me?" Ed asked, not sure what to say.

"Yeah, I guess so. I assume the feeling is mutual?" Roy stated.

"Yes, but... couldn't you lose your job or something if someone found out?" Edward questioned hesitantly.

"Let's just make sure nobody finds out then," Roy whispered huskily.

"That could work," Ed said deviously back.

Roy pulled Edward on top of him and layed them both on the couch into a sleeping position. Ed was curled against his chest. They were both exhausted from their previous activities and mutely agreed on a nap. They dreamt about each other while wrapped in the other's arms.

The older of the two woke up first. He opened his eyes lazily and saw the clock. It read 6:13 PM. Roy freaked out and shook Ed quickly, which he wasn't too pleased about. "What?" he asked groggily.

"Ed, look at the time," Roy said. Edward pulled his head away from Mustang's chest and his eyes found the clock.

"Holy shi- I really have to go Roy!" He yelled.

"Do you need a ride home?" Roy asked, concerned.

"Yes, could you just drop me off at the school? I can walk from there. Oh my god, Izumi and Sig are going to kill me!" Edward said to himself as he grabbed his items.

"Sure, Ed," Roy complied, grabbing his car keys off the counter and thowing on his old military boots.

As soon as they were in the car, Roy noticed Ed shaking. "Are you cold?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine," He replied, "Just scared of what my parents will do. I promised not to be late anymore..."

"Ed, you shouldn't have to deal with them. If you come to school in a worse condition than I'm leaving you today, I'm going to be pissed off," Roy stated.

"Don't worry about me," Ed glanced out the window at the school, "We're here."

Roy stopped the car and let his student out after giving him a goodbye kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow, Edward," Ed nodded and began heading down a street.

Edward was truly terrified of his parents reaction, but if he told Roy that, he was afraid something even worse would happen. After about 10 minutes of walking, Ed reached his front door. He put his hand out to grip the handle slowly, trying to calm himself down. Before he could turn it, the door slammed open in front of his face.

"Where the hell have you been this time?" Izumi screamed as she dragged him inside by the collar of his shirt.

"Some bullies were picking on me!" Edward replied quickly.

"Then you got what you deserved," Ed breathed a sigh of relief, "But, that doesn't mean I'm not going to punish you too!" She slapped him across the face. He landed on the floor. Izumi began kicking him in the ribs until Ed knew there would be bruises. He let out a cry of pain from her torture to his body. Ed tried his best to defend himself, but she was too tough.

She grabbed his hair and pulled until he screamed. Alphonse heard the noise and hurried down the stairs. "Brother!" He gasped.

"Your brother's fine. Now go back upstairs, sweetie!" She ordered in a motherly tone.

"No, you're not going to hurt him anymore!" Al screamed back, rushing towards Edward.

"Just go, Al. I'll be okay," Ed said weakly from the floor.

"That's what you always say, but you're hurt, Ed! You can't hide all those bruises and cuts anymore! I'm not letting you take the pain alone!" Alphonse yelled.

Izumi ignored them both, proceeded to Ed's leg and stomped hard. The pain from that and Ed's bruised ribs and body, made him pass out.

~Back with Roy~

As he was pulling away he felt scared. Not for himself, but for Ed. How bad would his parents be willing to punish him? Roy shuddered at the thought. Edward knew how to defend himself, right? So, why was he going to worry about the tough kid?

He arrived back home, sat on his couch, and picked up a book he was reading. When he had read about 2 pages, he noticed something. A red object caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He peeked over the book to see what it was. Ed's red jacket was lying on the table.

He brushed it off at first, he could simply give the jacket to Ed tomorrow. But, wait, it was winter. Did Edward even own any other protection from the cold? Roy decided that he should probably just drop the jacket off at his house. What's the worst that could happen? All he had to do was say Ed left it at school and he wanted to give it back to him. It certainly had nothing to do with wanting to see Edward again, nope.

Roy hopped off his perch on the couch and grabbed his car keys once again. Before he left he also brought his student information book. It would have Ed's address in it.

Mustang started off to the school in his car and looked at the book. 13666 Devil's Nest St. A common enough address... Roy drove until he saw the house with the numbers off the paper on the front. He stopped the car and grabbed the jacket from the passenger's seat. Mustang walked up to the door and was about to knock when he heard screaming.

He heard a muffled argument from behind the door.

"Brother!" Someone yelled.

"You're brother's fine. Now go back upstairs, sweetie!"

"No, you're not going to hurt him!" The same voice screamed.

"Just go, Al. I'll be okay," He could barely hear Ed.

"That's what you always say, but you're hurt, Ed! You can't hide all those bruises and cuts anymore! I'm not letting you take the pain alone!"

Roy decided it was time to step in. If he had to hear Ed in pain anymore, he would lose it. He busted open the door and followed the voices to the kitchen. Edward was lying on the ground unconcious and his little brother was standing with tears cascading down his face.

"Alphonse, grab a suitcase of things for you and your brother and come back downstairs," He ordered kindly.

Al must have trusted him because he obeyed immediately and ran up the stairs quickly.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Izumi yelled at the stranger.

"Someone who actually cares about these boys," He responded angrily to her inquery.

Roy bent down and swept the passed out Edward into his arms. He tried to be gentle because he didn't know to what extent the damage to his body was.

Alphonse ran back down with a large suitcase and went to Roy's side. Mustang led the way outside and took the boys to his car.

"Ummm, not to be rude... but who are you?" Alphonse asked quietly.

"I'm Roy Mustang, Edward's teacher. I already knew what was happening to you two. Ed left his jacket at my house and I was coming to return it when I heard your fight."

"Okay... but where are we going?"

"You and your brother are coming to live with me. That is, if you want to; it's safer than here," He assured.

"I'll go. And I know Ed wouldn't have any problem with it."

"Then we can leave now."

Alphonse nodded and smiled.

The two put the suitcase in the trunk and set Edward down into the back with his red jacket covering him like a blanket. Roy drove in silence until they reached his house.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Settling in at the house.

They reached the house shortly after and Roy pulled into the driveway. He opened his door first, then walked around to where Ed was lying unconscious once more. Alphonse grabbed the suitcase in back while Roy gently carried Edward in his arms.

The sky was already getting darker by this time, it was nearly night.

Mustang and Al made their way into the large house.

"Wow... this is your house?" Alphonse asked astonished at the size. For a teacher's house it was fairly expensive.

Roy nodded with a modest smile and brought Edward into the master bedroom.

"He can stay here until he wakes up. Then, we can find out the extent of the damage done,"

"Is he going to be okay?" Al questioned slightly scared for his brother.

"Edward should be fine, as long as his injuries are treated and you boys stay with me. Though some sleep wouldn't do any harm either," Mustang suggested.

"So, where should I sleep if brother is sleeping in your room?"

"There's a guest bedroom down the hall to your left. There should be plenty of blankets and other things in there for you to use. Help yourself."

"Okay," And with that, Al left.

"What am I gonna do with you, Ed?" Roy muttered to himself.

"Nothing till I was awake I hope?" Edward said tiredly with a small laugh.

"You're not asleep anymore?" Mustang asked brushing off the pedophilia joke.

"No, I'm done sleeping for now. Where are we though?" He asked with a yawn.

"You are at my house. Alphonse and you will be staying here with me. And we're in my bedroom right now."

"Where are you going to sleep?" Edward asked confused.

"I'm just gonna go to the other guest room." Roy answered carefully.

"You can sleep here," Ed interrupted.

"But then, where will you sleep?"

"We can both sleep here," Edward replied with a sneaky smile.

"Edward, as much as I would love to take you up on that offer... your brother is down the hall... and he still doesn't know about us."

"Wait, you never told him?" Ed asked surprised.

"No, I thought that was something you should do, considering he is related to you. I'm not exactly the right person to tell him his brother is having a scandalous affair with his teacher," Roy said dramatically.

"Can we keep this hidden for a while at least, then?"

"Sure, Ed. I don't think it's a good idea to let too many people know anyways."

"Thank you, Roy."

"No problem," Mustang leaned down and kissed Edward gently on the forehead.

"I will be in the guestroom at the end of the hall if you need anything."

"Okay. I'll see you in the morning then," Ed replied with a content smile.

"Sweet dreams, Edward," Roy said as turned out the lights on his exiting of the room.

Ed now had a little time to look at his surroundings, though it was rather dark the window lit part of the room. The bed had a decorative black wire frame with silky red sheets. A big dresser stood up against the wall, and a full-sized mirror next to that. 'No wonder the man looks so good' is what Edward thought.

Though he was now feeling the exhaustion of the day finally setting on his weak, abused body.

'I should sleep so I can be with Roy tomorrow' was his last thought before he set off to the land of dreams.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waking up for school. And Al catches them in the act. 'The Act' meaning kissing, you pervs.

As Roy woke up, he felt something warm against his chest and looked up. Edward was lying on him, clothes astray and blanket haphazardly draped over the both of them.

Mustang suddenly remembered it was a school day and dared to take a look at the clock. The time read 6:35 AM. He breathed a sigh of relief. School started at 8:05 and Roy had to be there at 7:15 since he was a teacher. That left less than 40 minutes to get ready.

Roy shook Ed as gently as he could, knowing he still had injuries.

"Hmmmm?" A tired Edward mumbled.

"You have school today, Ed," He replied.

"Ugh..." He groaned dramatically,"Do I have to go? I feel like hell."

"No, you can stay home and sleep." Roy smiled, "But, I have to go to work."

"Okay," Ed said sleepily. There was a few second pause before Roy said anything.

"Hey, Edward?"

"Yeah?" He questioned tiredly.

"I can't get ready with you on me," Roy stated with a laugh.

"Oh, yeah, I guess you can't," Edward said with a small blush and a yawn as he carefully got off the older man, slightly wincing at his injuries.

"Should I even ask how you managed to sneak in here last night?"

"No, you probably shouldn't. I couldn't sleep and when I slept by you last time I didn't have nightmares. So, I figured it was worth a try. You didn't seem to mind anyways," He said with a sneaky smile.

"Never said I did," Roy replied, giving Ed a quick peck on the cheek, leaving him a lovely shade of red, before walking down the hall to his bedroom.

He picked out a white button-down shirt and black slacks and put them on in a rush. Running down the stairs and pressing the button to make coffee. Roy had to be at work in 20 minutes and still hadn't eaten breakfast. Hearing a metallic clank, he looked over to see Edward holding out a plate of food to him.

"How did you-?" Roy began.

"No questions," Edward smirked.

"Thanks, Edo."

"No problem, I'm used to making my own food. You seemed to be in a rush, so I thought it might help. I have to pay you back somehow for all you're doing for my brother and I."

"Edward, you don't need to pay me back for anything. I took you guys in because I wanted to."

"And I'm doing this because I want to," He countered.

"I guess there's no arguing with you-"

"No, there really isn't," He interrupted

"You're just too stubborn," Roy finished with a half sigh.

"Hey! I am not stubborn!" Edward said in a very stubborn way.

"Heh, I'm kidding Ed. You're perfect the way you are," Roy whispered the last part, noticing the extra person.

"Good morning?" Al said, not realizing what he was walking in on.

"Morning, Alphonse. Are you ready for school? Edward's going to stay home, but I can drive you," Roy said kindly. not wanting him to feel left out.

"Yeah, sure," He replied grabbing his backpack.

"Let me just grab my keys. Meet me by the car."

Alphonse nodded and went out the door.

"I'll see you later, alright? Don't get into trouble, you can entertain yourself with anything you can find here. The library is upstairs and T.V. is in the living room," Roy said.

"Bye," Edward replied, already making plans with the library.

Roy leaned down and gathered Ed's lips into a reassuring kiss. Edward reacted quickly to this and wrapped his arms around the older man's waist. Roy put his hands behind Edward's neck and pulled him further into his own personal heaven.

A cough was heard behind them and they broke apart and both looked around. "Um... am I interrupting something?" Alphonse asked, his face flushed.

Edward's eyes nearly fell out of his head when he realized what his baby brother had caught them doing. And Roy turned an interesting combination of pink and red from embarrassment.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They confront the awkward. Al threatens Roy. Ed finds dirty books in Roy's library.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on an editing role today!

The world seemed to stand still as an awkward moment took place between the three.

"... Ed?" Alphonse questioned hesitantly after an undetermined amount of time passed.

"Can you at least give me a minute to think of an excuse?" Edward snapped, frustrated. Then, he actually understood what he just said and let out a squeek before slapping his hand to his mouth.

"Brother, it's okay. I kind of had a feeling you uhhh...er- swung the other way..." Al scratched his head nervously, not sure how to phrase it kindly.

"Oh, that's good then- HEY! Wait a second, how did you know? I didn't even know!" Edward objected.

"Ed... you're petite, have long hair, and are overly sensitive about everything." He stated, "You were either destined to be gay... or be with a very muscular women," Alphonse responded with a mutter at the end.

"Just because I have to wear womens' pants doesn't mean I'm 'petite'," Edward said the last word with disgust filling his tone.

"You... wear... womens' pants?" Roy said in-between bursts of laughter at the statement.

"You shut up! My pants are too long!," Ed pointed a finger at Roy, "Now see what you did?" He said looking at his little brother with mock anger.

"Oops."

"Yeah, 'oops' is right!" Edward glared at the two of them.

"Come on, Edward. It's not like I think any differently of you! It was all in good fun," Roy said kindly, ruffling Edward's hair before pressing a light kiss on the top of his head.

Edward muttered a, 'whatever' and began to retreat into the kitchen.

"Ready to go then, Alphonse?" Roy asked.

Al nodded and headed out the door, followed by the older. As soon as they got in the car Alphonse turned to Roy and began to speak.

"Listen," He said in an unusually stern tone, "I can understand Ed being gay, but if you hurt him, I swear to God you will regret meeting me."

Roy nodded, making a mental note to never get on the boy's bad-side.

The rest of the ride to school was not weird in the least. Which is odd considering Al had just threatened him. Somehow having it all out there made it easier to handle everything.

Mustang went into his classroom to teach and Al fell into his usual school morning routine.

Meanwhile, Edward had found the library and was having a better time than he had in years. So many books for him to read. He browsed the selections. Where should he start: alchemy, fashion, plants, guns... adult sex books?

WAIT, WHAT? Edward did a double take as he had been skimming the book titles.

Roy actually owned books like this? What the hell did he do in his free-time?

Edward, as so many other teens, couldn't resist a peek of the forbidden fruit.

He looked around -as if he expected someone to be watching- and quickly grabbed the book from the shelf.

One little look couldn't hurt... right?

The fact that Roy was gay slipped his mind for a moment as he opened the book to see two men in a very odd looking position. Though it quickly came back to him as he skimmed the pages. Some of them didn't even look possible. Was Roy just a pervert or did he actually want to try these poses?

Edward slammed the book closed and replaced it in the row of books.

He would try to forget about it until the time came that he might want to doing something that sexual with Roy.

Though that could be a while... considering his age... and Roy's morals. He thought the last word with disgust.

Well, he couldn't possibly be able to concentrate on reading with all of this on his mind.

Edward navigated his way to Roy's bedroom and turned off the light. The room was quite warm so he took off his shirt and crawled under the covers.

Roy wouldn't be back for a few hours so he should be fine. Without realizing he did so, Edward dozed off from exhaustion.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roy comes home. They watch girly movies and eat pizza.

Ed felt a sudden shift on the bed and jerked up quickly. Roy was sitting on the edge wearing a shy smile.

"Did I wake you?" He asked in a voice one would generally use with a small, easily frightened animal.

"No, I'm fine. Why are you home so early?" Edward got out, a midst a yawn.

"Edward, do you know what time it is?" Roy was looking at him as if he had three heads.

"Uh... I've been sleeping for a while," He admitted, "Why? What time is it?"

"Almost 6:00 PM. And here I thought you would be upset that I came home later. I just got back from school a while ago."

"Why didn't you wake me up? I could have made dinner or something..." Ed replied sheepishly.

"Well, you look really cute when you sleep," This statement of truth made Edward blush, "And I was going to order pizza anyways."

"Where's Alphonse, by the way?"

"He's -er spending the night at Winry's..." He trailed off suggestively.

"Oh dear..." Edward's face turned even more red.

"Are you feeling alright? You look a little flushed," Roy held a hand to his forehead. He was very warm.

"Yeah, I don't feel too well," Edward confirmed after a moment.

"Since we can't go anywhere with you sick, would you like to watch a movie?" Roy asked him kindly.

Edward nodded and quickly made his way to the living room clutching a blanket in his hands. He wasn't used to watching movies that often and was excited.

"I'm going to order pizza. What do you want?"

"Chicken?"

"Kay. I'll get a half chicken, half cheese. I'll be right back, wait here."

Roy came back a few minutes later.

"So what do you want to watch?"

"Do you have the Notebook?" He said after a moment, glancing away from the shocked stare he thought he would get.

Edward felt an arm wrap around his waist and let Roy turn him to face the other.

He held out the movie to him and Ed was extremely surprised he owned it. The double-sided chicken and cheese pizza arrived about half an hour into it the flick and the two gobbled it up.

Roy sat on the couch and set Edward on his lap with a blanket on top of them and a bowl of popcorn in-between. The movie started the familiar tale of sad love was told. Every time he watched this movie, Ed cried at the resolution of it.

By the end, Edward's head was lolling back onto Roy's shoulder while he cried for the characters. Roy thought it was adorable how he overreacted so much over a movie. His hand was on Ed's upper leg and rubbing soothing circles there.

Neither one got up during the credits so they just watched the countless names of unimportant people fly across the screen.

"Edward are you feeling any better?" He whispered, breaking the silence.

"Not really," He confessed, "A little worse, actually."

Roy moved his hand to feel Ed's forehead again. His temperature was still burning hot.

"I'm going to put you to bed now," He picked him up, despite his protests, wrapped in the blanket and brought him to the master bedroom.

He didn't think it would be such a good idea for them to share a bed. But he couldn't bare to leave Edward alone while he was ill, so he lay down next to him.

Roy unconsciously cuddled closer to Ed in a protective manor and ended up with his arms tight around his waist when Edward woke in the middle of the night.

Edward remembered watching a movie and eating some pizza... but after that everything seemed a blur.

He noticed he was being held too close to escape, even if he wanted to. So, he just let out a content sigh and returned to his mind's inner peace chamber.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They wake up in the middle of the night and Ed is even worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS is where the story is going to veer from the original. Because the original sucked. And it lead into an awkward, unrealistic ending. So fuck it. It's different!

Roy blinked his eyes a few times before he realized where he was. The clock read 3:47 AM and he wasn't sure why he had woken up so early. Until he saw Edward. The moonlight from the window was enough to see the room fairly well.

The young teenager was laying in bed sweating. Roy noticed the blonde locks stuck to his forehead. When he went to move them, it felt like his hand had touched an oven.

He gently shook Ed to wake him up. "Edward?" He questioned softly.

Ed opened his eyes to see Roy looking concernedly at him.

His stomach was extremely nauseous.

"Roy," He said with what little air he felt that he had, "I don't feel so well."

"Shhhh... Ed," He hushed calmly, "What's wrong?" Roy pulled the boy's head onto his lap and began stroking the golden locks gently.

"Everything," He whimpered, knowing he was exaggerating a bit.

"Anything in specific?"

"My stomach, feels like I'm gonna vomit."

Roy carefully pulled the t-shirt off of Edward and looked at his chest. Purple and brown bruises layered the skin there.

"Did your parents give you these?" Roy asked, trying to keep his temper at bay.

Edward merely nodded and winced at the motion of his abdomen. He felt his throat burning and covered his mouth. Ed quickly jerked off the blanket and out of the bed. He ran into the attached bathroom.

Roy heard horrible retching sounds and got up to see Edward on his knees in front of the toilet. He was gagging and crying from the pain. He knelt beside him and rubbed calming circles on his back while holding his ponytail out of his face.

Edward just whimpered and sobbed. When he was done, Roy handed him a washcloth to clean up with. After that was done, he lifted Ed up and put him back on the bed.

"Ed, would you be upset if I brought you to a doctor?" He questioned hesitantly.

A scared look came into Edward's eyes and he glanced at Roy. "I hate doctors and needles but... would they make me go back with Izumi and Sig?"

"I don't know, Edward. They may or may not, but I sincerely hope they don't. Something is definitely wrong with you, Ed. We'll wait till the morning and see if you get any better." Roy leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead as reassurance.

Edward finally nodded and begrudgingly agreed to go if it got any worse.

"Oh come on, they aren't that bad!" Roy tried to convince him, jokingly.

"Yes, they are! They smell bad, the people are mean... and everybody dies," He lowered his voice with the last phrase, enough so that Roy didn't hear him.

"Okay, well, let's go back to bed and see if your fever breaks. Do you want to change your clothes, or stay in that?"

"I'll stay in this. It's comfy and I'm not in the mood to change really," Roy nodded, walking over the bed. He put another blanket over Edward when he noticed he was still shivering.

He lay back down and felt Edward's forehead. Just as warm as before. He looked out the window, whose blinds that not been closed the night before, and noticed it was snowing outside.

Roy pulled Edward close and made a prayer to a god he didn't believe in to help Ed get better.


End file.
